Compress PDF to 1MB

Try to get a PDF under 1 MB. This page starts on our smallest quality setting. We cannot guarantee every file will hit 1 MB.

How to compress a PDF toward 1 MB

  1. Choose the PDF you want to shrink, or drop it into the tool.
  2. Add more files or rotate pages if you need to, then open compression levels.
  3. Leave Extreme compression selected, or choose another level, and compress.
  4. Download the result and check the file size. Working copies are deleted after 60 minutes.

Features

Same compressor

This is the Compress PDF job with Ghostscript. Only the starting quality and this page's copy are different.

Smallest setting first

Level 3 uses screen quality at 72 dpi. That is the smallest option we offer, not a 1 MB guarantee.

1 MB is hard

Many scans will stay larger than 1 MB. If they do, split the file, drop unused pages, or try OCR first.

Deleted after 60 minutes

Uploaded files and results stay on the server only long enough to download. Then they are deleted.

No watermark

The compressed PDF does not get a MyPDF stamp. Free accounts get 5 jobs a day.

Need a larger cap?

For a 2 MB form, use Compress PDF to 2MB. For a looser 5 MB limit, use Compress PDF to 5MB.

Why 1 MB is a target, not a promise

Some portals still ask for a 1 MB upload. MyPDF uses the same Ghostscript compressor as Compress PDF. This page starts on level 3 (smallest / screen quality) because that is the setting most likely to get near 1 MB.

A one- or two-page text PDF often drops under 1 MB. A multi-page color scan usually will not, even at the smallest setting. If the result is still large, split the PDF or remove unused pages before you try again.

Working files are deleted after 60 minutes. We do not add a watermark. Free accounts get 5 jobs a day. Pro, Team, or a $5 day pass raise the file-size cap if the original is larger than Free allows.